All Rise...

Editor's Note

The Charge

Jeff: Four Americans on vacation don't just disappear! The police, our
parents, the Greeks, somebody. Somebody is going to find us. We just have to be
alive when they do.

Opening Statement

The Ruins is a handsomely crafted horror movie that slipped in and out
of theatres without too many people noticing. Even though the book was a major
bestseller, it seemed the film version had a hard time finding the audience it
deserved. It's a unique experience, because The Ruins doesn't follow the
predictable formulas of either slasher or monster films. The best aspect is it
allows the characters to think quite a bit about the situation they are in, and
contemplate their next moves. It also gleefully blends extreme elements of
"torture porn" thrillers such as Hostel or Saw to make the audience squirm. The
Ruins is a gruesome ride with more character development than what you'd
expect from a horror piece. All that said, it doesn't work nearly as well as the
book it was based on. The monster working behind the scenes to destroy the
protagonists comes off as slightly silly once fully revealed, but the cast and
crew go for broke in making it as harrowing as they can given the
constraints.

Facts of the Case

Jeff (Jonathan Tucker, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)), Stacy
(Laura Ramsey,Venom), Amy (Jena Malone,Donnie Darko), and Eric (Shawn
Ashmore,X-Men) are close-knit college
buddies on holiday in Mexico. They meet a German traveler (Joe Anderson,
Across the Universe) who claims he is going to join his brother at some
Mayan ruins that are off the map and not the usual tourist trap. The foursome
can't resist the idea of an adventure before they leave. They even convince one
of their drinking acquaintances, a young Greek (Dimitri Baveas in his film
debut), to come along for the ride. Little does every one know that where they
are heading is regarded as both evil and sacred by the Mayans. One step on to
the ruins, and you can never leave. To make matters worse, there is something up
there that is going to make their stay a whole lot more unpleasant.

The Evidence

Scott Smith's novel The Ruins was purchased by Hollywood before the
book was completed or published, because the writer's reputation preceded him.
This was thanks to his Oscar nominated adaptation of the author's harrowing
debut, A Simple Plan. The Ruins
was named by Stephen King as the best new horror work of the decade, and the
printed version was a best-selling beach thriller. Adapting The Ruins to
film would be no easy task since it was primarily a psychological tale about
four young Americans trapped on a hill by nervous Mayans sacrificing them to an
unseen god. Along with their German and Greek friends, they discovered a monster
that made them all face inner demons. The book was gruesome, full of "in
the head" dialogue, and a menace that would be hard to realize in a
convincing way on the big screem. It all took place in one setting, a lot of the
scariest parts were what happened to the characters emotionally, and the point
of view constantly shifted from one person's perception to the other. None of it
seemed to lend itself to a cinematic outing easily.

Of course, when you look at The Ruins, you come away saying the books
is much better. Even though the author himself wrote the screenplay, there are
key differences in the material that reek of "test audience
interference" or "Hollywood adaptation." Some of the major
changes include: fewer characters make it to the ruins, the setting is far more
elaborate even including electricity at night, things happen to different
characters, the monster is more prominent early in the game, time seems severely
compressed, and a gentler ending is provided to soften the last blow. The book
is unapologetically grim and much more torturous than the film could ever be. If
you're seeking the most thrilling experience, I suggest reading the novel first
and then checking out this screen version.

The film does manage to get many things right, and thankfully the whole
thing comes off as original thanks to the source material. We have the
obligatory impossibly attractive victims, but they seem to have more acting
chops than your average "stars of the WB" casting we see in most
horror movies today. Jena Malone and Laura Ramsey come off the best in the
ensemble, but they admittedly get the choice bits to play. The gore quotient is
insanely high, and The Ruins isn't afraid to go to the dark places that
easily earn its R-rating and then some in the unrated cut. There's no holding
back with this one, and it has been criticized for being out and out
"mean-spirited." If you're squeamish, this isn't the film for you. The
effects guys wisely choose to blend practical work with CGI, and the results are
visceral and completely convincing. They deserve a ton of praise for taking the
best of both worlds, and finding the right moments to use each effect and when
to layer them. Another standout is the excellent photography, which really makes
the film look like a major studio production. Surprisingly, most of The
Ruins was shot using natural light, and the results are amazing.

The Ruins is being released in dual versions including a theatrical
cut as well as this Unrated Edition. Definitely seek out the unrated version,
because it offers the most footage and extra features. You'll notice the
difference in the color of the cover art, and for some reason the theatrical
R-rated edition skips any bonus material. The unrated film adds in extra gore
and tweaks the ending with an extra beat. It also includes making of
featurettes, a director and editor commentary, deleted scenes, and three
separate endings filmed for the movie. Truly the deleted scenes and optional
endings don't add all that much, but it is interesting to see the different
permutations of the final moments. There's even one that adds a jump scare and
reminds me a great deal of Carrie.
The commentary gives a ton of insight on why the film made changes from the
book, and it's an amiable track that certainly deserves a listen. The
"behind the scenes" featurettes are well done, avoiding the usual
electronic press kit sessions. Celebrity producer Ben Stiller even makes an
appearance, since he is close friends with author Scott Smith. You get to see
how the effects were accomplished, and it's all impressive. Gore hounds will go
nuts for the sequences that show how they achieved the stomach turning parts of
the film. Technically the DVD delivers a solid transfer and a great audio track.
There are no problems with digital artifacts, and the colors and black levels
are nicely executed. Surround effects work well, and all five speakers are
engaged.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

In the end the film hinges on whether or not you buy the menace our
protagonists face. In the book, the monster attacked the heroes psychologically,
wearing them out, and finding their weak points over seemingly endless days. In
a book, your imagination lets an author get away with a lot, but in a movie
there are points where we have to see things concretely. In the printed form,
the trapped kids were facing the dangers of primarily dying from exposure, and
it's something the film can't replicate in an hour and a half. They had to make
the menace come from somewhere else exclusively, and it had to come out of
hiding fast. This is where The Ruins gets in trouble. When you learn what
the kids are facing and the peculiar talent it possesses, you may need to stifle
a giggle or two. For a horror movie, that can be disastrous, and it almost makes
The Ruins die on the vine. Luckily late in the garme, the filmmakers
realize this and let the horror come out of the situation that is spiraling out
of control moreso than anything else.

Closing Statement

The Ruins is an adaptation that works on some levels and doesn't quite
make it on others. All in all, it remains an interesting and unique horror tale
that is worth checking out. The good news is it is well acted, beautifully
photographed, and has a nice mix of both practical and CGI effects. The bad news
is it can't quite get to the level of desperation or fear that the novel so
effortlessly achieved. Key to the story is the idea that the kids become
monsters themselves when they are trapped and have to fight for survival. The
menace they face acts as a funhouse mirror that gets inside their heads as it
attacks their bodies. You get only a sense of that in this film; whereas, in the
book it's clearly communicated with deadly precision. Read the book first, and
then grab the unrated DVD where the ending is appropriately dark. You also get a
ton of extras to explain the intentions of getting this ghastly tale up and
moving. Horror fans will find this one definitely worth a look since it is
smarter and more savage than anything thrown out in the genre in recent
history.